For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 101
CRAAAASH!
It sounded as if the wooden front gate had been smashed…?
While I was still startled, the very culprit who caused the commotion suddenly flung open the door and revealed himself.
Of course, it was Feyden.
The sharp look he usually wore was nowhere to be found, replaced only by urgency etched across his face.
“Hey, Potato! You—!”
Feyden stammered and fumbled over his words as he entered the room. Or rather, tried to enter. If not for my thunderous shout—
“Shoes! Take them off!”
Creak. Feyden, who had been about to step right over the threshold without a second thought, froze mid-step. Then, muttering under his breath, he took off his shoes.
“I still can’t get used to this.”
Feyden strode right into the room and knelt down in front of me. Sitting cross-legged was far too uncomfortable for him, so kneeling was the only way he could sit on the floor.
Seeing such a large man kneeling on the floor made me laugh.
“You’re laughing? Right now?”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“You! Do you even know how many days it’s been since you opened your eyes?”
“I heard it’s been three days?”
“So you know, and yet…!”
Feyden choked up, taking in a sharp breath. He was being as dramatic as someone who’d just regained consciousness after a brush with death.
“They said it was just a simple fainting spell, so what’s the big deal.”
“Hah. Even when I worry about you…”
“Did you worry about me?”
As I stared straight at Feyden, he stuttered, his ears turning red.
“I-I never said I was worried…!”
“Ariel!”
Perhaps he heard Feyden’s commotion—Ariel, with his hair tousled and clearly not fully awake, entered my room.
Unlike Feyden, Ariel seemed to have already adapted to this floor-sitting lifestyle, even wearing socks and a hanbok like an ordinary young man.
Someone must have helped him, because his long silver hair was neatly braided down one side.
“You look good, Ariel.”
“Estira. Are you alright? How are you feeling? We were so worried… Whew. Thank you, Almighty Natasia.”
He quietly approached me, calmly knelt beside me, and offered up a prayer. I could see his clasped hands trembling ever so slightly.
It seemed he truly wished for me to wake up.
“I’m sorry for making you worry. I’m totally fine now. Really.”
To reassure them, I forced an awkward smile, squeezing out some energy that didn’t want to come. Ariel replied with a gentle smile, “So it seems.” Feyden, on the other hand, muttered, “Eat more and put some weight on,” before abruptly leaving the room.
“He actually worried about you the most out of all of us.”
“Even more than you, Ariel?”
“Yes. Maybe so.”
“That’s surprising.”
Ariel just quietly smiled, the corners of his lips gently lifting.
“He’s a lot warmer on the inside than he seems on the outside.”
Ariel carefully reached out and covered the back of my hand, which was exposed above the blanket, with his own. I could feel his slight trembling directly.
“Really, truly… I’m so relieved.”
With that one calm sentence, the frustration I’d felt because of Feyden and Ariel seemed to melt away. The fact that they hadn’t left this room and had stayed by my side out of genuine concern—it made me feel grateful.
Even though, because of their beliefs and circumstances, they’d once sold me out, their feelings for me were still sincere. As I quietly gazed at the packet of medicine Feyden had left behind, I spoke.
“Thank you.”
Ah, I really am glad I came all the way to Dongguk with these two.
My heart felt secure.
***
Under Okhee’s watchful eye, I was forced to eat rice porridge, and, to help with digestion and finally see the village, I stepped outside the house for the first time in five days.
I wondered what kind of village it would be.
With an expectant heart, I crossed the threshold.
On either side of me were Feyden and Ariel, and behind us walked Okhee and Nari together.
「 Wow. There are so many people. 」
Okhee told me that her husband was the village head, but that there were so few people that even calling him ‘head’ felt embarrassing. So I’d assumed it was a small rural village.
But as we walked down the alley following her lead, the place was bustling with people and energy.
「 It’s festival season. It’s a pretty famous festival, so people come from neighboring villages and even across the mountain. 」
「 What kind of festival is it? 」
「 There’s a big lake just beyond the back mountain called Seonui Lake. That lake protects our village, so we hold a festival around this time to give thanks. 」
As I listened carefully to Okhee’s explanation, I suddenly turned to look at her.
「 Seonui Lake, you said? 」
「 You’ve heard of it too, Miss? Even foreigners know of it, as it’s said to be the sacred lake leading to the Holy Kingdom! 」
Seonui Lake. Of course I knew it.
It played an important role in the original story. How could I not know it?
Not only had I met Jin, but now I’d even found Seonui Lake so quickly.
‘Maybe I really am being favored by Angel Natasia?’
Otherwise, how could such good fortune keep happening in a row!
Taking a deep breath, I turned my head toward the direction of Seonui Lake, said to be just over the mountain.
